


Secrets Kept (Highschool!AU)

by intergalxtic



Category: Beetlejuice - All Media Types, Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Abuse, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Gen, Happy Ending, Homework, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Refered Panic Attacks, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Prom, come one this is delia and charles we are talking about, juno (mentioned) - Freeform, not a terribly slow burn, these tags are a mess, this is my AU i can do what i want
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:54:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24893482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intergalxtic/pseuds/intergalxtic
Summary: Delia Schlimmer is the new girl at Winter River High, bright, bubbly and deeply mysterious.Charles Deetz joined this school a few months back. Stuck and scared.They know nothing about each other's lives, and how far will they go to keep it that way?
Relationships: Adam Maitland/Barbara Maitland, Beetlejuice & Charles Deetz, Beetlejuice & Delia Deetz, Beetlejuice & Lydia Deetz, Charles Deetz & Adam Maitland, Charles Deetz & Barbara Maitland, Charles Deetz & Delia Deetz, Charles Deetz/Delia Deetz, Delia Deetz & Adam Maitland, Delia Deetz & Barbara Maitland, Delia Deetz & Lydia Deetz, Delia Deetz & Original Character(s)
Comments: 41
Kudos: 30





	1. First Days and Weeks Later

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my fic!!!  
> Just to start off, I have taken their personalities from the musical, and mixed them up with what i think they would have been like in highschool, but this is my AU i can do what i want,,,
> 
> anyways, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> (I promise most of the characters are in this just bare with me)

From the second Delia steps into the school, she knows she’s going to like it. The huge building seems welcoming, not cold, like her other schools she’s been to. The small smile that tugs her lips extends to grin when she walks into the quiet reception area.

“Hi?” She asks the grey-haired office woman, her head tilted to one side. The woman removes her rimmed glasses and stares at for what feels like an eternity. But before Delia can speak again, the woman claps loudly.

“Right! The new girl! What’s your name again?” She booms, catching the attention of everyone in the office area.

“Delia Schlimmer,” She replies formally, fiddling with the hem of her dress. Luckily this school doesn’t have a school uniform, let alone a dress code, so she’s safe.

“Grade?”

“Senior.”

Delia watches the woman tap lightly on the keyboard, the printer next to it buzzing to life, spitting out form after form for her to fill out. Once the machine stops whirring, the woman hands a wide-eyed Delia the small stack of paper and a pen.

“Just do these, they won’t take long.” 

Great. Delia slowly turns around, finding a plastic seat to sit on. Some of these will need parent signatures.  _ Sigh.  _ Of course, the pen she was given has run dry, but before she can take one from her bag she hears a voice next to her. 

“Do you need a different pen?” They say, causing Delia to jump. Delia snaps her head up, to see a blonde-haired girl, smiling guiltily. She looks no older than sixteen, a comically oversized sports jumper tied around her tiny waist. 

“I-uh, yes please!” Delia squeaks, taking the black pen from the girl. 

“I haven’t seen you before. Are you new?” She takes a seat next to Delia, flicking her hair over her shoulder. Delia nods in response, starting to write in the information needed. “I’m Barbara, what’s your name?”

“Delia!” 

The two of them fall into an easy conversation, and Delia learns that Barbara is indeed a sophomore. She also learns that she does too many sports to count on one hand, but her favourite is swimming. Delia on the other hand, reveals nothing about her life. The only thing she says about herself is that she moved from New York. Why she did, will remain a secret. 

Five forms later, she stuffs the ones that need parent signatures in her pocket to forge at home (to not raise suspicion) and holds the rest out to the office woman. 

“You’ve met Barbara I see, she’ll take you on a tour of the school.” The woman says, suddenly cold, snatching back the papers. It throws Delia’s train of thought off track. Does she not like her? Did she fill them out wrong? Too quickly? Too slowly? Before her mind can go too far, Barbara has dragged her off down the hallway, into the main sector of the building. 

The pair stroll down the large halls, from the bottom floor to the top. Barbara leads Delia through the science room, where more than questionable experiments are going down, all the way downstairs to the brightly coloured art rooms.

The red brick walls and white rims on the outside contrast the walls on the inside. These walls are mostly grey, big windows into the classrooms washing it out. There are cork boards with vandalised messages and fake names on sign-up sheets. You know, classic high-school stuff. 

The tour takes up the remainder of the first two periods, and now the hallways are bustling with teenagers rushing to their lockers. Barbara takes hold of Delia’s hand, dodging the crowds. She slows down when she gets to one of the English classrooms, her eyes dart around, locking on a scruffy boy with dark brown hair and glasses. 

Delia watches a smile form on their faces, then they both move on past. 

“What was that?” Delia comes right in close to Barbara, whispering in her ear. Barbara blushes bright red, giggling. “Is he your crush?”

That makes Barbara giggle louder, pressing a finger to her lips. “Shhh.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” Delia whispers, letting go of Barbara’s hand as they reach her locker. Right as she’s about to set her combination, her gaze falls on someone. A boy, to be exact.

He has neat, black hair. He is tall, but not towering. His brown eyes are emotionless, and he doesn’t talk to anyone around him, even the people Delia assumes are his friends.

“Who’s he?” She points to him discreetly, and Barbara’s eyebrows crease.

“That’s Charles! He’s also new, about three months. He’s my next-door neighbour, actually.” Barbara pauses for a moment, biting on her lip. “I’ll leave you be, I trust you’ll find friends easily.”

And with that, she’s gone. Delia faces her locker, shoving her bag inside, pulling out a zip-lock bag of plain crackers. She looks up, to see Charles staring at her, so she stares right back at him. They stay for a moment, sharing a brief smile, then Charles breaks first. He walks away down the stairs, leaving Delia utterly alone.

She only shares a few classes with him, but from what she can observe, he is kind. Maybe she can make friends with him eventually. 

  
  


He had locked eyes with her. The glamorous new girl from who-knows-where. She’s only been here a few weeks, yet has somehow made her way to the popular kids. Her eccentric style of clothes made it difficult to understand, mostly consisting of bright-coloured dresses and long earrings, but no-one questions her place.

When she first came to the school, unlike him, she made friends almost straight away. Her bubbly personality caught Charles’s attention, making it impossible for him to keep his eyes off her. She’s intriguing, and he only knows her name. 

  
  


Some days, Charles makes it through the day, without any struggles. Some days, he can’t. His heart pounds in his ears, drowning out the teacher, his head aching from held-in tears. Whatever the maths teacher is saying, is going in one ear and out the other. He thinks it's something about square roots. He looks right through his work, trying to steady himself. When he can’t, he knows just what to do. 

“Miss?” He shoots his hand up, his mouth into a tight line. 

“Yes, Deetz?” The teacher raises her eyebrows

“May I use the bathroom?”

“Fine.” 

As soon as the words leave her lips, he’s up and running the opposite way to the bathroom. He darts through the halls, to the back staircase no-one knows about, or uses. He climbs up a few steps, so he’s out of earshot, then he can finally breathe out again. 

His throat burns from wheezing in every previous breath, his head doing pirouettes. After blocking everything out for so long, he has forgotten what sound is like. So when he hears footsteps, he leaps up like a startled deer.

“Woah! It’s just me,” A voice he barely recognises says softly. “Are you okay?”

He focuses his eyes long enough to see who it is. Red hair, beautiful half-smile. Delia. He desperately attempts to recollect himself, when it’s no use. He is caught. So he starts a conversation.

“How did you find this staircase?” He splutters, leaning on the railing. 

“I was exploring,” She mentions casually as if she wasn’t skipping class. “You didn’t answer my question, though.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” 

“No, you’re not,” She storms right up to him, easing him to sit on the cold concrete steps, but her words aren’t harsh, they’re soothing. She wraps one arm around him, and to her surprise, he doesn’t pull away. He leans into her, his heavy wheezes reduced to light sniffs. 

“It’s Charles, right?” She says after a few minutes of comfortable silence. She lifts her arm back over his head, lacing her fingers together in her lap. “I’m Delia.”

“Nice to meet you.” Charles laughs at the situation. This really isn’t how he imagined their first conversation would be. Before he can say anything else, the deafening bell rings for the end of the day. “Shit.”

“I-I-I’ll see you tomorrow? Here, lunchtime?” Delia asks, scrambling up from the steps and down the stairs. “Goodbye!”

Her sudden departure is strange, to say the least, the panic in her voice evident. But he won’t pass up an opportunity to hang out with her, so at lunchtime the next day he goes back, and there she is. Smile and all.


	2. English Essays and Incorrect Spanish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles helps Delia out with her essay,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome back!!
> 
> We meet Beej and Lydia in this chapter, hope you enjoy!!

Meeting in the stairwell has become an every-second-day thing. They meet, they talk, they go back to their respective groups. But it’s not like they only see each other then, they share some classes too. It’s not so convenient that their friends are so different, so a quick glance and a smile is their only communication until they can find privacy. Aside from the questions from friends, it’s great.

“Oh. My gosh.” Delia comes running up the stairs, her face screwed up in annoyance. She slumps down, leaning against the railing. “I have to tell you something!”

“Yeah? What is it?” Charles looks up from his sandwich, staring intently at the flustered girl. 

“My English teacher… has the au-dacity…” She sucks in a shaky breath before continuing. “To fail me! I got forty-nine per-cent!”

“Wow.” When she said fail, Charles thought she meant maybe a sixty or seventy. That’s what he considers ‘failing’, anyway. He watches in dread as tears form in her eyes. Dealing with other people’s emotions is not really his strong suit. 

“I only get two days for a redo! I can’t write a whole essay in two days!” She groans, hanging her head. 

Not knowing how to make her feel better, he blurts “Not with that attitude you can’t.”

“What?” She snaps her head back up again, curiously.

“I can help you,” He offers, not really thinking. “I’m pretty good at English.”

“No, you don’t have to, I should be fine-”

“I want to help.”

“Really?” Delia’s eyes light up with unusual disbelief, taken aback. “Like… tonight?”

“Sure,” Charles shrugs, ignoring the abnormally large smile on her face. “What’s your number, so I can text you my address?”

“I-uh… sure!” She squeaks, pulling her phone out of her dress pocket. Exchanging their numbers, Delia can barely contain her happiness, if that’s even what this feeling is. It was weird having someone offer to help instead of suffering in silence, for a change. Getting lost in conversation, they barely noticed the bell going until Charles checked the time. 

“I have to go to Math now. See you later?”

“Yes!” Delia stares at Charles as he bolts down the stairs to get to his class. She doesn’t leave straight away, rather standing still in the staircase, trying to process the fact that someone is doing something good for her.

_ But what if he’s doing it to trick me? _

The thought quickly departs her mind, as she doesn’t have time to dwell, mostly because she doesn’t particularly want detention from her art teacher. Gross.

  
  


As promised, Charles sent his address. 13 Cherry Drive. That’s not to far to walk. Slipping her English workbook and computer into her bag, she sneaks out of the house, and down the road. Winter River is a lot smaller than where she’s used to. She is used to the bustling crowds and busy streets of New York, not the silence and crickets of some town in Connecticut. At least it makes it easier to navigate. 

Two steps in one slab of concrete, one step in another. Another Delia has noticed is that the pavements are often flooded with moss and weeds between the cracks, grass and overgrown, only adding to it. Dandelions are very common, and also very pretty, in Delia’s opinion. She even stopped her journey to pick one and put it in her hair.

Trudging up the hill, Delia takes in the house. It’s fairly run down from the outside, dark and gloomy-looking. Maybe it is haunted. Who knows. The gravel crunches under black wedges, which she regrets wearing after twenty minutes of walking, and before she knows it she’s at the door. 

Hesitantly she pushes the doorbell, and the door instantly flies open to reveal a short girl, with curly black hair that matches her dress. 

“Hi! I’m Delia, is Charles here?” She asks the girl, who just scowls. 

“Yeah. CHARLES!” She shouts, turning away from her. “He’ll be down in a second. Just come in and put your stuff wherever.”

“O-Okay,” Delia steps through the door, taking in the interior. The colour inside is close to the colour on the outside, except less run-down. The blinds are open, filling the large room with natural light. It feels warm and homely, despite the odd greeting. 

She decides to put her bag on the wooden dining room table. At the same moment, Charles comes down the stairs. 

“Charles!” She smiles. 

“Did Lydia let you in?” He asks, joining her in putting his books on the table. 

“Yeah! Is she your sister?” 

“Cousin.” He corrects. He was hoping to avoid these questions at all costs. Personal life isn’t his go-to talking point, especially with someone like Delia.

“How old is she?”

“Eleven.” Charles yanks out a chair, promptly sitting. “Let’s work?”

“Yep! That is what I am here for, after all.” Delia bats an eye at his awkward behaviour. She takes her seat and pulls out her laptop, opening it up to her English essay, handing it over to him. She watches as he reads, observing his facial expressions. They are subtle, she realises, but they are there. She is still yet to figure it out each tell. 

“Well, you have some good points, it’s just not written…”

“It’s bad?” 

“No! You just need to format it better, and put in more descriptive details! Like for example…” Charles goes into explaining, and Delia listens like there is no tomorrow. 

As it gets later into the afternoon and into the evening, the words start blurring into one just like the blue sky turned to orange, then into dark blue. Her essay is almost finished, but still not quite there. Unable to hold back, she lets out a yawn. 

“We can stop now if you want?” He bites his lip to stop himself from smiling at her blush. “You’ve still got another day, right?”

“Yes.” Delia pushes a stray hair out of her face, her eyes falling on some writing on Charles’s hand. The black pen has smudged, making it difficult to make out what it says. “What’s that?”

“Oh. I had a Spanish test. I’m terrible at it.” He admits, bringing his other hand to his neck. 

“Can I see?” 

Silently, Charles holds out the hand with the Spanish on it so that Delia can read. Now it’s Delia’s turn to stifle a laugh. 

“What is it?”

“That sentence isn’t correct,” Delia grins at Charles’s dismay. “It’s supposed to be ‘La cartuchera se calló al pizo’.”

“Oh god.” 

“It’s okay, the rest are… somewhat correct.” Out of the blue, Delia gasps. “I can help you! To pay you back for helping me with this! I just love helping people.”

“Yeah. Why not?” He sighs, still annoyed at himself for not double-checking. “Maybe tomorrow after we finish your essay?”

“Yes!” Delia responds, clapping her hands. She takes a moment to look outside, to see that the night sky has fallen over the town, completely dark. And not very safe to walk home. Noticing her uncertainty, Charles speaks up. 

“Do you need a lift back home?” He asks softly, but before Delia can answer, a loud crash comes from upstairs. “Shit.”

“Chuck!” A large man comes plummeting down the steps. He has bright green hair, and a toothy smile. “I kind of… broke the lamp. And the painting above the lamp…”

“Are you serious? Oh my go…” Charles cuts himself off. “I’ll clean it up if you drop Delia back at her home.”

“Who?” The man turns around to face Delia, who widens her eyes. "Right,"

“This is Lawrence.”

“Don’t call me that.” He tenses his shoulders at the name. “Call me Beetlejuice, or BJ, or something along those lines.”

“O-kay. Beetlejuice it is!” Delia swallows hard, putting her laptop and workbook back into her bag. ‘Are you sure you can give me a ride? I hate to overstep!”

“It’s ‘aight. Where do you live?” He asks, strutting to the door.

“Oh! Um... 33 Crow Street.” Delia says, following Beetlejuice out the door. Before she goes, she turns back around to face Charles, who is packing up his laptop. “I’ll see you tomorrow after school?”

“Yeah. See you.” Charles gives a brief smile, and then Beetlejuice slams the door shut behind them, making Delia jump. Tucking a hair behind her ear, she gets into the car.

  
  


The car ride is silent. There are little cars out on the road, unusual for the time of night. Delia stares out the window, her eyes fixed on the stars scattered across the sky. Seeing so many stars is something different too. Being in New York, light pollution often got the best of the sky, but not here. 

“So. It’s Deborah, right?” His voice sounds like he smoked ten packs a day for ten years.

“Delia.”

“Sure. Why did you move from New York?”

“How did you-”

“Charles told me about you,” He answers simply, interrupting. 

“My parents got a job opportunity here,” Delia lies without missing a beat. She glances up at Beetlejuice, his eyes unmoving from the road ahead. 

“Charles also moved from New York, but he was from the outskirts. He and his mother moved with me and Lydia a few months ago.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Anyway, I’m at your house now.” Beetlejuice pulls over to the sidewalk, the car still running. Delia unbuckles her belt, getting out. 

“Thank you for driving me!” Delia says with a tired smile and a small wave.

“Whatever, Delilah,” Beetlejuice says, and with that, the car goes jutting off into the distance.

“It’s Delia.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it!!
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment, and go follow my tumblr (same user)
> 
> :D
> 
> (PS. I do not speak spanish, but my friend does, so he helped me out with that)


	3. When I'm Talking to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setting up proves difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> TW - Minor emotional abuse

Delia stayed true to her word. She helped out Charles with the Spanish, and she also managed to up her grade to a seventy per-cent. Finding that she likes his company and kindness, she starts asking for help more often. Maths, psychology. In return, she either helped him study for Spanish, or… that’s all. But it is Charles’s worst subject.

Wednesdays are often boring. All her least favourite subjects are on Wednesdays, so at least she has an excuse. Unfortunately, a boring day means boring homework. Groaning, she dramatically buries her head in her arms.

“You’ve only got one more question,” Charles mumbles, typing up work on his own computer. These sessions have also become more than just helping each other out, rather just doing schoolwork with the occasional advice.

It gets Delia thinking. What if there was a way to put this time to use? I mean, if they aren’t getting interrupted by Lydia or Beetlejuice, then what are they doing? Just silent work.

Maybe…

What about…

Lightbulb.

“Charles, why don’t we start a tutoring business?” Delia suggests, beaming. “Like a little homework helping?”

“At school?” Charles brings his eyes away from the laptop, drawn to the idea. 

“Yeah! I know a bunch of people who may need help. We could go to elementary schools or middle schools as well!” Delia gets more hyped up by the second. “You would be in charge because you’re better at normal work, of course.”

“Then what would you do?”

“I could help with… Spanish. And I’m very good at schedules.” Delia points out, shutting her maths book. “We could make posters, and get Lydia to put them up at her school!”

“I’m not doing that!” Lydia shouts bluntly from upstairs. 

“Either way,” Delia’s smile falters slightly.

“I’ll just pay her some of the money we get,” Charles quips, clicking his fingers. 

“Really? You’re in?” 

“Well, yeah.” He shrugs. “I could use the extra money.”

“Yes! I’m so excited!” Delia claps her hands like a seal in a circus, wanting to get started straight away. The time on her phone screen says otherwise. The sun has already started setting, so she has to leave soon if she wants to make it home by darkness. Her parents are out at a meeting, so she should be back before them, too.

“I should go. I’ll start working on the posters at home.” Delia bites her lip, packing up her stuff from the table for the third time this week, and heading towards the door. “I’ll see you?”

“Tomorrow after school?” Charles’s ears turn pink. “We can write out the details.”

“Sounds like fun.” 

And then Delia is out the door. Charles puffs his cheeks, letting out a sigh. Delia is like a breath of fresh air for him. Amongst all the craziness that has been going on in his life, she brings him down to the earth, back into reality. 

“So you’ve got a thing for Danika?” Beej asked when Charles told him how he felt.

“No! I can’t. Not after the whole Emily debacle.” Charles said to him, his lower lip trembling. “I shouldn’t be over her yet.”

“You just feel guilty about what happened.”

Delia skips through the gate of her house, letting it swing shut as she goes through the door. The hallways quickly engulf her as she habitually tiptoes, making her way to the stairs. Just as she is on the first step, an icy hand grabs her by the shoulder, whipping her around. Delia stumbles back, almost slipping back down the steps, catching herself with her hands.

She’s met with her mother, towering over her, her face contorted and red. She’s not supposed to be home. Not for another hour. Refraining from eye contact, Delia makes the mistake of talking first.

“I thought… I thought you were at a-”

“That’s none of your business. Why were you out?”

“I was studying, at a friend’s…” Delia tries hard to keep her brave face on, but that’s difficult to do when all the oxygen around her has disappeared. 

“You’re not supposed to be out on Thursdays. You know that.” Her mother says, her eyes darkening with her tone. 

“I forgot… I’m sorry, I’ll be better-”

“You should be.” She spits like venom, then turns on her heel and leaves Delia frozen on the stairs. Before she’s completely out of sight, her mother finds something else to say. “And look at me when I’m talking to you. You look like a damn fool with your eyes going everywhere else.”

Tears in her eyes, Delia clambers up the stairs and into her spotless room and throws her bag into the corner, slumping into bed and shakily pulling out her phone to text Charles. 

[Delia Schlimmer]: change of plans, can we work on the project at lunch instead? :/

She knows better than going out the day after angering her mother. Hitting the send button, she gets a reply almost instantly.

[Charles :) ]: Wait why? Is something wrong?

[Delia Schlimmer]: nothing is wrong i just cant

  
  


Delia plugs her phone in, leaving it on her bedside table. She wraps her arms around her body and sheepishly rolls over to face the wall.  _ I probably deserved that. God, I am so stupid, thinking I could get away with this. _ Tomorrow will be a better day if her parents are gone early.

She is right. Her parents must have left early for work, meaning she had the entire house to herself for two hours before school. Delia pulls on a pair of black ripped jeans rather than her usual dresses. It’s going to be a little warmer as it heads further into spring, but it's still cold today, so that's her excuse. Not like anyone is going to care.

Every morning before the bell rings, she meets up with her friends just past the entry gate. Every morning, Delia is the second one there, after Danny. Danny is always the first one there, with his red-and-black Nike runners, slick brown hair. Terrible grades and everything. They often stand in near silence before other people come. 

After Delia comes Cara and Leah, who walk to school together every day. They always stumble through the gate in a fit of laughter. 

“Someone looks happy!” Delia says, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“I am happy!” Cara lets go of Leah’s hand, pushing a strand black hair out of her eyes. Her caramel skin glows in the morning sun. “My parent-teacher interview was cancelled!”

“What was the interview even for?” A voice comes from behind, bleach-blonde hair just visible from behind the girls. It’s Parker, the last person in their little group. 

“I didn’t turn in some assignment. I don’t even remember what it was,” Cara sighs dramatically, placing a hand to her forehead. 

“Classic Cara,” Danny points out, earning a death glare. “It’s true!”

“I can still crush your skull with my bare hands,”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Danny hits his chest with a fake offence, making Delia crack up in laughter. Their antics serve a great distraction from… well, everything. Delia looks at the time, biting her lip. She wanted to catch Charles before they start classes. Speaking of…

Charles is about to walk right by when Delia stops him.

“Charles! I want to apologise for not being able to do this afternoon,” She says, her cheeks turning red.

“It’s okay. I have to look after Lydia anyway,” Charles explains, playing with his bag straps. “I’ll see you at lunch?”

“See you!” Delia turns back to her friends, who are giggling at her. “What?”

“Who’s that?” Leah is the first one to speak up, her eyebrows raised to the sky.

“You know who Charles is, and we are doing a project together!” 

“Sure you are.” 

“We are!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enoyed!!
> 
> PSA: for the sake of the story, Emily is not Lydia's Mother (Please don't sue me)
> 
> Anyway if you want to you can leave a comment or follow my tumblr (same username)
> 
> Ily! :)


	4. Constant Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles and Delia are stumped... but Barbara knows someone who may just help.

Convincing Lydia to put up the posters was surprisingly easy. All it took was some money negotiation and a packet of Poptarts. If truth be told, she did a great job. She did such a great job, that they have way too many children to help out for two teenagers on a few afternoons a week.

“I mean, worst comes to worst, you can probably help the easy work?” Charles suggests to Delia through the phone, as he chops up some carrots for dinner. His Mum has barely been home recently, same with his Dad, Beetlejuice can’t cook to save his life. So, that leaves him to make dinner for everyone. 

“Oh god, no. I can only do Mondays and Tuesdays now, anyway.” Delia laughs at the thought. “We could see if anyone wants to help out?”

“I don’t know if anyone would want to, but I can ask around,” He says, considering who he knows. His next-door-neighbour, Barbara, goes to the school. Maybe she will know someone who’s willing to help. 

“I will too. I have to go, I'll talk to you soon?”

“Wait why? Oh…” Charles is met with silence, as Delia hangs up. Tipping the carrots into a bowl and asking Lydia to keep an eye on the oven, he decides to go over to Barbara’s. He won’t be too long, he just has one question for her. 

Just as he’s down the driveway, he catches her about to walk into her house. 

“Barbara!” He calls out to her, and she turns around slowly, relaxing when she sees Charles. She wears a pair of dark blue floral shorts and a black crop top to match, her hair is damp, likely from swimming. 

“Charles?” She swings her bag over her shoulder, a confused smile on her face. “What are you doing out here?”

“I have a question for you,” Charles waits for her answer but she only gives him an interesting look. “Delia and I are starting a tutoring business and need a hand. Do you know anyone?”

“Uh…” She considers for a moment, her face lighting up. “Oh! I know! I have a friend called Adam, he’s kind of a nerd, he’s like really smart.”

“Will he help?”

“I can ask him and get back to you,” Barbara grins, then waves him goodbye as she strolls her driveway into her house. Charles also heads back inside, whipping his phone out.

[Charles Deetz]: So I think we have our guy.

Going back to making dinner, he can hear Beetlejuice entertaining Lydia upstairs. Her giggles echo through the hallway and down the stairs, making Charles’s heart melt. The poor girl rarely laughs, despite Beej’s constant chaos.

Looking after Lydia is a whole job by itself, parents around or not. She may only be eleven, but she is a goddamn handful. From silly things like jumping off beds, too dangerous things, like hanging around on the roof. Charles is lucky Beej caught her up there because she is also an absolute klutz. 

She has been like this for as long as he can remember. The fire in her eyes, the determination, the spontaneous nature. It just got worse after her mother died. She was a single mother, but they both seemed so happy. In a way, Charles was jealous of them. Until Lydia was forced to move in with Juno. 

Charles had only met Juno once, and oh boy was it a disaster. It was a wedding of some distant family members, and a few drunken actions caused the early end of the wedding. But they won’t have to put up with her anymore, because she disappeared into thin air a few months ago, thus Charles moving to Connecticut. 

Initially, he was confused as to why he had to move instead of them moving to him, but he’s grown to like Winter River. He just prays he can stay, he couldn’t bear to go back, not after what else happened.

  
  


Delia waits in the stairwell, tapping her foot lightly on the concrete. It’s been maybe... ten minutes since the start of lunch? And Charles hasn’t shown up yet. Perhaps he blew her off. She admits she can be overbearing at times, and he’s finally had enough, and run away. Most people do. That thought flies out the window when she can here the monotonal voice of Charles and the peppy voice of Barbara coming down the stairs. There seems to be one more voice, must be the boy Charles said he found. 

And it is. A scrawny, brown-haired, boy wearing a blue Star Wars t-shirt and dark wash jeans. She immediately recognises him from the first day of School. The boy Barbara has a crush on is standing right in front of her. 

“I’ve seen you around! I’m Delia, what’s your name?”

“Adam. Maitland.” He says, pushing his glasses up with a nervous smile. “I heard you were looking for someone?”

“Yes!” Charles starts talking, going straight into the details. Delia smiles at his increasing enthusiasm, god he’s so cute. Wait, what?

“Sound good?” Charles finishes, throwing a silent ‘did I miss anything?’ Delia’s way, who replies with an affirming wink and a thumbs up. 

“Sounds great, in fact,” Adam glances back to Barbara, giving a tiny nod. ‘I’ll do it. I can do any days, except for Thursday nights.”

“I’ll put that in, and I’ll have the schedule done by tonight,” Delia confirms, wringing her hands together, looking at Barbara with excitement. Seeing that the boys have fallen into some conversation about their teachers, she takes the moment to breathe out. Something she has been doing more often. 

Remembering to breathe freely while she still can. It’s getting difficult with her friends sniffing around her life, and now before school is a blessing and a curse.

“Come on! Why won’t you tell us what you’re doing?” Cara nags, pulling on Delia’s arm like a child as the group walks towards the entrance.

“I said! It’s just a… science project,” Delia fibs, rolling her eyes so hard they might roll off her face. 

“I think that’s the biggest lie you’ve told us,” Parker replies, mimicking Delia’s eye roll.

“If Delia doesn’t want to tell us, she doesn’t have too,” Leah says, pushing a dirty blonde ringlet out of her face.

“Thank you, Leah,” Delia places her hands on her hips.

“But we wanna know…” Danny whines, and he just gives in. Besides, it’s the least of her problems. 

“Charles, Adam and I have started a little homework helping,” Delia shakes her head at the confused expressions all over their faces. 

“Like tutoring? Why didn’t ask any of us to help?” Cara asks, her brows furrowed. 

“Because you wouldn’t have done it?” Delia bites her lip guiltily, wishing she had said something else.

“So we are bad at school?”

“No!” Delia feels her heart drop to the floor.  _ Why didn’t she think of asking them first? No point now. _

“That’s not what she meant,” Leah lightly shoves Danny, as he lets out a surprised yelp. 

“I think there’s something else going on!” Cara proposes, taking a step back. “I think our Delia has a crush!”   


“No!” She repeats more frantically. Is it hot, or is it just her?

“You’re blushing…” Parker pouts, starting to dance around the three girls. She doesn’t bother replying, she’s too tired of their shit. 

“You’re embarrassing,” Cara grimaces at his silly dance moves. Arms flailing around the air, feet stumbling all over the place, much like a drunk person. The group continues to laugh at him until the locker bell rings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> hopefully this wasn't boring... I promise there will be action soon ;)
> 
> feel free to leave a comment, or follow my tumblr (same username)
> 
> :D


	5. Prom Season

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prom season is here, and Delia starts cooking up her plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to @oswinosgoodsscarf for editing this chapter!! means a lot!!

Prom. Something most teenagers look forward to. Not Charles, however. In his opinion, it is just a big, dark room with strobe lights filled with hormonal and sweaty teenagers. Yuck. Emily shared this aversion with him, so they didn’t go last year. 

Unfortunately for him, it’s that time of year. It was announced during homeroom, and emails were sent to the students previously. With the room buzzing with excitement, he turns to Delia and her friends. Her friends are clapping and chattering around her, but she looks a little lost. A small smile tugs at her lips. A small smile is enough for Charles to start thinking.

“Who are you thinking of taking?” One of his friends asks.

“I don’t know.”

But he does.

  
  


Prom is something Delia has always wanted to do. Previously she had three boys ask her, but she had to turn them down. Her parents had never been keen on school events, so she wasn’t surprised when they told her off for even asking. 

That doesn’t stop her from wanting to go. And this year, she is coming up with a plan. It’ll take some sacrifices, and it’s going to be risky, it could still be worth it.

All throughout math she finds herself plotting out the entire night, from sneaking out to sneaking back in, even though it’s a month away. It’s not like math is important anyway, not yet at least. Besides, she has another week before the test, and that’s plenty of time to study. Later. Way later.

The last period on Mondays always seems to go slower than the rest, and Delia is just itching to get out. She has two (two!) clients today, and she still needs to print out some sheets at the library. 

Either way, she wants school to be done.

She still has thirty minutes. Fuck.

  
  


After school is over, and she has printed out her worksheets, she walks straight to the first client’s house. They only live a few blocks away from school, conveniently for Delia. The pavement becomes more uneven as she goes down the street, overgrown lawns, yet neat housing behind picket fences. It’s like walking the line between two worlds. Unnerving.

She quickly finds herself outside the front of a small, red-brick house with tall square windows. She knocks at the door, and it swings open to reveal a little girl, just shorter than Lydia. 

“Hi! I’m Delia. May I come in?” Delia puts on her biggest grin to match the girls. 

“Hello!” The girl’s mother walks out from behind the door, taking her by the shoulders. “Come inside!”

As she steps inside, the little girl latches herself onto Delia’s arm. “My name is Skye! Are you my new tutor?”

“Yes, I am! Now, why don’t you go and set up your work on the table for me while I talk to your mother?”

“Okay!” Skye skips away, Delia turning to the mother, whose mouth is in a tight line.

“I have a question, Mrs…”

“Just call me Lauren.” Lauren crosses her arms in front of her.

“Alright… is there anything I need to know about Skye? Skill level?” Delia says awkwardly, hoping a question could break the tension. 

“She is still new to Spanish, her elementary school last year did Chinese, and she’s having a little trouble picking it up. That’s why you’re here.” She points to Skye, bouncing around on her chair. “I’m going to the gym, I’ll be back in an hour.”

“Ye-yep.” Delia is about to turn away, but Lauren had one more thing to say. 

“Also, no scary stuff, Skye has arrhythmia. There is an information sheet on the fridge if something goes wrong. See you!” Lauren is gone in a heartbeat, leaving Delia a tad confused. Taking a deep breath, she turns to Skye, getting straight to work.

“So, Skye. Do you like animals?”

“I LOVE them!” Skye claps her hands, spreading warmth right through Delia’s chest. “My favourite animal is a cheetah!”

“Do you want to learn how to say that in Spanish?” Skye nods eagerly, and Delia does a quick sweep of her mind to find the correct word. “It is ‘Guepardo’. Can you sound that out for me?”

The rest went smoother than she could possibly imagine. 

Same with the next girl, Emma. They both take their time sounding out and spelling words, listening carefully to what Delia is saying. Like, actually listening to what she is saying. Woah.

  
  


Delia sits in her room, grinning at the money in her hands. Sixty dollars just today, imagine how much she can get in a month. Maybe longer! She puts the money in a little box, shoving it all the way back against the wall, under her bed. Hiding it from her parents.

She was almost, if not definitely proud of herself. She finally got to pull out her more assertive side, and seeing kids happy and having fun while learning fills her heart with joy. She has to tell Charles.

[Delia Schlimmer]: so the first two were a success!

[Charles Deetz :) ]: That’s great. Did they agree to the set price?

[Delia Schlimmer]: yes they did :D i have another tmrw and thats it for the week

[Charles Deetz :) ]: Brilliant. Were the kids nice?

[Delia Schlimmer]: they were wonderful! skye was just the cutest thing, same with emma!

[Charles Deetz :) ]: Good to hear. I will ttyl?

[Delia Schlimmer]: of course <3 see you

Delia shuts her phone off, laying on her bed with a surprisingly little amount of thoughts. She should probably do her own homework, but the plain ceiling is currently offering a lot better entertainment, except it’s rather boring after three-and-half minutes. Flopping her head to the side, her eyes fall onto her closet. 

Closet.

Dresses.

_ Prom. _

All at once, all of her plans to sneak out to prom hit her like a train. She flings open her drawer, taking her journal. Opening it to the next empty page, she begins scribbling up her ideas.

_ Going to Prom: _

_ Step one: Find a way to mark the school email as spam. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!  
> I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> I'm sorry if it was a little boring, i had some trouble writing it (hence the late update).
> 
> comments and criticism are appreciated!!


	6. Questions and Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Barbara and Charles have something to ask Delia.

Step one carried out well. Her parents were out, and she snuck onto their computer and placed a spam filter on the school email, blocking them from seeing it. Delia knows that they don’t check it, and every time they do they start yelling at the inbox for blocking up their storage. It goes down about once every few months, and it happened two weeks ago, so she is fine. They don’t even get notifications for it. Double fine.

Step two and three have pretty much been carried out already. Two weeks into tutoring and she has earnt enough money to rent a dress, and pay for entrance fees. As much as she would like a fancy ride, it's way too noticeable and too expensive.

Now she’s just waiting for someone to ask her. 

Preferably someone tall. With dark hair. And broad shoulders.

Charles. She wants it to be Charles. 

She’s not holding out hopes though, but hey, anything can happen.

  
  


“What’s holding you back from asking her!” Beej exclaims at Charles. He had been bugging him every day since he found out about Prom, getting shunned each time. Charles quite frankly, is getting sick of it. 

“Will you stop asking!” Charles snaps, beej jumping at the tone of his voice. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I don’t want what happened last time.”

“What actually happened ‘last time’?” Beej says mockingly. “Did you get dumped on the day after or something?”

“No.”

“Then what?” Beej takes a step towards a frozen Charles. 

“I… really hurt Emily.” Charles gulps, starting to dig his nails into his sweaty hands.

“You're going to have to be a little bit more ‘pacific here, Chucky.” Charles can’t help but laugh at the nickname.

“I almost didn’t tell her I was moving. It got to a couple of days before, and I said it in passing. She got so angry, and hasn’t spoken since.” Charles sighs, his eyes wandering. 

“So you just want closure?”

“I miss her… and I feel guilty about moving on so quickly, and liking-” He cuts himself off.

“About liking?” Beej coaxes him to keep going, and instead of pushing him away like usual, Charles opens up.

“About liking Delia.”

“So you admit it!”

“Yes, I admit it-”

“So what’s holding you back?”

  
  


Delia’s sitting calmly with her Cara and Leah, putting no real input into the conversation. The cafeteria is filled to the brim with students, and quite frankly, the noise is doing her head in. From across the room, she spots Barbara, who is darting around the room like a mouse looking for crumbs. 

She waves and winks at her, then places her attention back to Cara and Leah. Before she can contribute anything, she’s being whisked away by Barbara, into an empty hallway.

“We’re friends, right?” She asks urgently, biting her nails. 

“Of course! Why?” Delia stares at Barbara, her eyebrows furrowed with concern.

“I have a question for you, my other friends would make fun of me if I asked them,” 

“Oh?” Her heart hammers in her chest.  _ God Delia, you’re so pathetic, you can’t even talk to a friend. _

“I want to ask out Adam, what do you think?” Barbara visibly winces, bracing herself for laughter. Delia doesn’t even chuckle.

“That’s a great idea!” She exclaims, grinning ear to ear. “How are you going to do it?”

“I don’t know! That’s why I’m asking you!” Barbara’s voice drops to a whisper as a teacher strolls past.

“I would say… go up to his locker after school, tell him how you feel, get his number and set a date!” Delia explains, without missing a beat.

“You make it sound so easy…” She groans, flicking her blonde hair out of her face. 

“The difficult part is approaching him. And the worst her can say is no, you know?”

“I know.” Barbara considers for a moment, taking a sharp breath in. “I’m nervous, though.”

“That’s completely normal! Now go get your guy,” Delia encourages, a warmth spreading through her chest. Before Delia can say goodbye and walk away, Barbara wraps her arms around her waist. 

Delia squeaks, not used to someone else initiating contact with her, and happily hugs her back. After a few moments, Barbara waves goodbye and skips away, leaving Delia feeling oddly breathless. 

  
  


Charles is shaking, and it’s not the weather. It’s that he’s standing by the gate, waiting for Delia to emerge from the building. Students pour out of each entrance, flooding through each gate. She should be out soon, she had psychology last, and her teacher always lets them out on time without fail. 

His perks his head up when he hears the sound of her laugh, followed by her friends.  _ This is your chance. It’s now or never. _

“Hey, Delia?” He strides up to her, closer than both of them give credit for.

“What’s up?”

“So-I-uh-oh god.” Charles stammers, internally curing himself. Unsuspecting, his guilt slowly starts devouring him again. “I… I like you, Delia. And I was wondering…”

He pauses in an attempt to read her face, which he usually does like a book. Not now.

“Do you want to go to prom with me?”

Silence. Then a small chuckle, rapidly turning into shock. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. Now I know this isn’t the most ‘romantic’ way to ask, but-”

“Charles, I would love to go to prom with you,” Delia blushes the brightest pink, beaming at him. A chorus of “oohs” and google start from her friends, but she’s too overjoyed to care. Because she’s going to prom! With Charles! This is the best day of her life.

Ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Sorry for the late update!! school went back and everything is a bit crazy atm.
> 
> shit MIGHT go down in the next chapter though,, just a warning
> 
> Have a wonderful day!

**Author's Note:**

> AHHH
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> This is going to be the longest fic i have written (ikr) so i hope you stick around!
> 
> (also: almost everything is explained throughout the fic, just bare with me)
> 
> comments are very much appreciated!!
> 
> Thank you!!! :)))


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